Low Voter Turnout So Far at Some Birmingham Polls
There’s plenty of campaigning, but turnout appears low so far at several Birmingham polling places today as voters elect a mayor, city council and school board.
At Legion Field, where voters from three different council districts cast their ballots, crowds gathered outside campaigning. A few candidates and their staffers pitched tailgating tents. One was frying chicken to serve for lunch for campaign workers.
One mayoral candidate — Frank James Matthews — drove up with a caravan of about 10 vehicles. They were all honking horns and waving campaign signs.
There was a steady flow in and out of the polling place. But by 10:45 a.m., fewer than 500 people had voted. In the November 2016 General Election, 2,700 people voted at that same site.
The flow of voters was also slow at Sun Valley Elementary School. Only 160 people had voted by 9 a.m. Outside the polling place were the two candidates for the District 1 City Council seat campaigned.
Incumbent Lashunda Scales approached voters saying, “I’m counting on your vote.” Her opponent Sherman Collins stood just a few feet away saying “Eight is Enough.” Scales was first elected to the council in August 2009.
In Roebuck at the Don Hawkins Recreation Center, the flow of voters was steady. By 1 p.m. about 400 voters had cast their ballots. In November, 1,800 voters cast ballots at that location.
Additional reporting by Esther Ciammachilli
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
